


My Soldier

by KasyStarchild



Series: The domestic and not so domestic life of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky is a mess, Bucky is a sassy fuck, Canon? What Canon?, Drunk avengers are stupid, Farmverse reference, Flashback, Fluff, Heart-stabby-moments, Historical Accuracy, Hulk being Hulk, I researched a lot of shit for this, M/M, Musical theatre references, Past Relationship(s), Prologue, References to Depression, Sassy Bruce, Sassy Tony, Steve and Bruce kinda hate each other at first, Steve is caring af, Steve isn't much better, Steve's landlady is badass, WW2, Wakanda, War flashbacks, coopfic, domestic stuff, lucifer references, mention of suicide, mission, set directly after winters soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-05-10 03:50:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14729415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasyStarchild/pseuds/KasyStarchild
Summary: It's been a week since Bucky left Steve at the river after their fight. Steve wants nothing more then to find and save his friend. But what will happen if the Winter's Soldier suddenly turns up at his doorstep? Read on to find out!Note: this is a fic in cooperation with Raspberries_Heartbeat. Our fics take place in the same AU and relevant chapters of her work will be linked in the notes, as soon as they are uploaded.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic in cooperation with Raspberries_Heartbeat. Our fics take place in the same AU and relevant chapters of her work will be linked in the notes, as soon as they are uploaded. At this point her work is not yet relevant for this fic.

The last few days felt like a dream, like it was too good to be true. Bucky Barnes, alive. Well mostly alive, except for the fact that he had been turned into a killing machine by Hydra. Steve Rogers paced through his small apartment in the Bronx, trying to process the events of the previous week. He was sure that there was still a bit of the Bucky Barnes left, who used to be his best friend 70 years ago. Bucky could have killed him or let him drown, but he didn’t. Steve’s thoughts went back to the last moments by the river, reliving everything again in his mind. He knew he had to find Bucky before something happened to him or worse somebody else found him first, he just had to. He couldn’t bear losing his best friend again, not after what Hydra had done to him. Steve was convinced that it was his duty to save Bucky, to make up for the fact that he wasn’t able to save Bucky all those years ago. But should he tell the team about who the winters soldier truly was? Would they help him find Bucky? Would they help save him? Steve sighed. Deep down he knew the answers to his questions. The other avengers would try to talking him out of saving Bucky, they would say that everything is already lost. But Steve knew in his heart that hope was not lost yet. He let his body fall down on his bed, grabbed a pillow and let out a scream, so loud that his neighbours would have probably called the cops if he hadn’t muffled the scream with the pillow. He found that screaming into a pillow was the best way for him to deal with his feelings, but this time it didn’t help. His head almost felt like it was exploding. He was filled with gratefulness and joy that Bucky was alive, hatred and disgust for Hydra who turned Bucky into whatever he was now, and mainly confusion about certain feelings he didn’t quite know how to place. “Damn it!”, he yelled this time without the pillow. He just hoped that his next-door neighbour, the elderly Mrs Thomas had not heard him because despite her being a very lovely lady, she was incredibly nosey and always knocked on his door to check on him. There it was. The dreaded knock on the door. So, she had heard him after all, Steve thought. He slowly crawled out of bed, walked towards the door and opened it. But outside was not elderly Mrs Thomas, nor one of those pesky missionaries, who couldn’t seem to leave him be, but a man with shoulder length hair, a metal arm and a rough looking face. The shock was written in Steve’s face as he stared at the man unable to say a word. They both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, when Steve finally managed to say one word: 

“Why?”

“Can I come in? Please? I want to explain. Please, I promise I won’t hurt you, Steve.”

Like he was in a trace, Steve gestured inside and he and the winters soldier moved towards the sofa. After sitting and awkwardly staring at each other Bucky took a deep breath and said: 

“Look, I am sorry Steve. I am fighting the programming but I can’t control it yet. Now with Hydra gone, my systems are allowing me to fight back more often. I am so so sorry for everything I did to you Steve. You have to believe me.” 

The pain in his voice felt like an icy dagger in Steve’s heart. Steve swallowed and asked: 

“How on earth did you find me Bucky?” 

“Followed you I guess. Ever since I pulled you out of the river I’ve been close to you, working up strength to talk to you.” 

“But you left me at the river! You vanished into the forest! I saw you disappear! I’ve been trying to find you!” 

“Did it ever occur to you that I didn’t want to be found?” 

Steve swallowed again. He felt like crying, because the man sitting next to him was nothing like the Bucky he used to know all those years ago. This man was scared, lonely, serious and unpredictable. 

“Buck….”, Steve started, “I don’t know what to say. I want to help you but I don’t know how.”

“I cannot be helped Steve”, Bucky said slowly with a hint of sadness in his voice, “I have done too many unspeakable things and I don’t know how long I can control the urge to kill you. I guess I just came by to tell you this.”, he paused, “And to see you one last time and say goodbye.” 

Silence.

“No.”, Steve said with such confidence that it truly surprised him because he felt more like crying on the inside then like stopping his old friend from doing something very stupid.

“No? Steve did you listen to me? Did you forget that almost killed you? Did you forget all the things I did in the past? You took down Hydra! I’m sure you read all their files about me! And still you don’t agree that it would be for the best if I just stopped existing?” 

“No, I don’t agree, Barnes!”, Steve almost yelled at this point, “You committing suicide is not fixing your problems! And I swear to god Bucky, I can’t bear to mourn you once again.”

“I don’t want to continue to disappoint and hurt you, Steve. It’s best for both of us if I was just gone.” 

“But that’s exactly what you’re doing now Bucky, don’t you see? I care about you more then I care about anyone in this world! And I’m sorry I can’t let you die, because you think you can’t change back into a normal human being, but I’m saying you can, Buck! I just don’t know how yet, but we will think of a solution. Together.” 

Steve didn’t realize that during his speech he had grabbed Bucky’s hand and held it tight. For a brief second Bucky looked like he wanted to say something but quickly decided against it. 

“But what would you have me do instead, Steve? Hell, I don’t have anyone! With Hydra I at least had a home, if you can call that cell a home. But I was wanted there! But in the real world I am lost!” 

“You have me! And you will always be welcome in my apartment. I realize it is not big, but it’s big enough for me and you.”

For just a moment, Steve thought he’d seen Bucky smile. But if it was a smile it was gone again just milliseconds after it surfaced. 

“You’re too kind, Steve. But what if I accidently kill you, with….it.”, he pointed to his metal arm. 

“You won’t. I know it in my heart. I swear to you Bucky Barnes, we will find a way to fix this.” 

Defeated, Bucky agreed to stay with Steve until they found a solution to his deadly little problem.

Despite Steve’s apartment being in fact very tiny and not meant for more then one person, the two old friends somehow made it work. While Steve would stay in the bedroom, Bucky was allowed to turn the living room into his little cave, a literal cave. Bucky had used Steve’s furniture, a few old blankets and various shields he found in Steve’s cellar, to build himself a cave in the living room. The only part of the room Steve was still able to use was the sofa. But Steve didn’t mind much, he was just glad that Bucky was coming to his senses, even though he still seemed concerned about his metal arm and kept saying that he could neither control nor remove it. Steve suggested they should ask Tony Stark to help with his problem, since the inventor could probably come up with a solution. But for some reason, unclear to Steve, Bucky refused to talk to Tony Stark, he even forbade Steve to mention him to Stark. Steve didn’t ask why but he wondered why Bucky refused to meet Howard Stark’s son. A man, he only met briefly during world war II but had always admired him and his work. In his desperation, Steve called the only other person he knew had chance of helping Bucky after three days of sharing his flat with the winters soldier. What caused him to such a desperate measure, was not the fact that he shared his flat with a killing machine but the fact that Bucky couldn’t seem to relax even for five minutes. He rarely left his cave and jumped every time he heard the slightest unusual noise, thinking that someone from Hydra had survived and was going to get him. Steve figured if he could find someone who was able to remove Bucky’s metal arm, Bucky would be able to recover from the trauma Hydra caused him over the last 70 years. And Steve wanted nothing more then for Bucky to find himself again and find happiness in this strange, fast moving, new century. After a few deep breaths he pulled out his phone and searched his contacts for Bruce Banner, took another few deep breaths and hit call. After a few seconds of ringing, which felt like an eternity, Banner picked up his phone and said with a tried sounding voice: 

“Banner. Who is this? I swear Tony if you’re prank calling me again I will have the Hulk destroy your precious tower!”

“Banner, this is Captain Rogers. And no this is not a prank call.”

“Oh, it’s you. I wasn’t aware you used cell phones now, Rogers.”

“Only in emergencies and I consider this call an emergency. I need your help Banner.”

“What? MY help? Has Tony turned you down or why are you calling me?”

“Tony can’t know about this. Do you understand? Please Banner, I’m begging you! Can me and my problem come to your lab tomorrow? Please.”

Steve must have sounded more desperate then he thought because what Banner said next surprised him more then he thought.  
“Alright, Rogers. What ever your problem is I will try to help you. But Rogers?”

“Yes?”

“You will be there at 9am and you better be on time, I don’t have all day.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Steve told Bucky about his plan, the longer haired man just sat on the sofa, not moving even the tiniest muscle. He just sat and listened. After Steve finished his explanation, Bucky simply nodded and said: 

“Ok let’s give it a try.”

But instead of sounding excited or happy, he just sounded like he was ready to accept whatever would happen, like he had already given up.  
The next morning, the two super soldiers faced their first challenge before they even set foot outside their front door. How on earth were they going to get to Bruce’s lab in Manhattan? Since neither of them had an up-to-date driving licence or even owned a car, they couldn’t drive there on their own. But since Tony could not know what Steve planed, he couldn’t call the JARVIS car service, Tony had created for the avengers to use in emergencies. In a regular taxi would be a bit, well, difficult to hide Bucky’s metal arm and if Steve got unlucky the driver might be a fan and recognize him and ask too many questions. And the subway might be a bit dangerous when you’re traveling with a literal killing machine and most likely the security wouldn’t let them through anyway. While Steve tried to think of a possible solution by preparing breakfast, someone knocked at their door. Steve had almost dropped his bowl of cereal and Bucky almost fell off the sofa, because none of the men had expected someone to stop by this early in the morning. Slowly Steve moved towards the door and opened it carefully. A dark skinned, elderly woman wearing a red flowery dress and rocking short purple hair stood in the hallway. His neighbour, Mrs Thomas, seemed to be a bit in a hurry, Steve judged by her constant staring at her watch and fidgety body language. 

“Finally! Steven my boy, I need your help!”, she said in her shrieking voice, “Some dumbass kid, sliced my tire and I really need to get going or I will be late for bingo breakfast! Can you and your pretty boyfriend over there maybe help an old lady change her tire?”

Perplex, Steve and Bucky exchanged some looks. 

“Of course, Mrs Thomas.”, Steve replied, “But this is not my boyfriend, mam. He’s just an old pal of mine.”

“That’s exactly what my first husband used to say before he left me for Frederick! Ah Steven, you remind me so much of Gabriel.”, Steve could feel the nostalgia in her voice, “Now come along boys, I don’t have all day!” 

She scurried through the hallway, dragging Steve behind her. Bucky stood up slowly and slouched quite a few steps behind them, but sped up considerably when Mrs Thomas turned around and cried out: 

“Now hurry up boy! And straighten your back! You have a horrible posture, like my second husband Michael. And you don’t want to end up like Michael, now do you?”

Steve didn’t dare to ask what happened to Michael, but it worked because Bucky straightened up and started jogging to catch up with Mrs Thomas. Mrs Thomas didn’t seem to notice Bucky’s metal arm, or maybe if she had noticed she didn’t look to bothered by it. Steve figured since she had caught him in stranger situations almost weekly when he first moved in, she was used to strangeness by now.  
The tire was changed in no more then 5min, because that’s just what happens when you ask two super soldiers to help you. Steve casually asked when they finished:

“Say, Mrs Thomas, where exactly is this bingo breakfast you’re going to?”

“Well it’s in a nice little coffee shop. I think it’s called Gregory’s, you know like my third husband? It’s on 6th avenue, near 33rd street station. Why you ask, Steven my boy?”

This was the best news Steve had heard all day. As fate wanted things to happen, Bruce Banner’s lab was located opposite the Manhattan Mall which happened to be next to 33rd street station. He put on his most charming smile and asked:

“Mrs Thomas? Would you be so kind and give me and my friend a ride? We have some business near Manhattan Mall and since you’re driving there anyway it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would it?”

“Not at all my dears! Come, hop in, but no eating in my car, do you hear me boys?”

“Yes, mam.”, they replied in unison. 

A 40min car ride later and Mrs Thomas honking and cursing at every car in their way, Steve swore that he would never ever in his life ask Mrs Thomas to drive him from the Bronx into the heart of Manhattan. When they finally pulled up at Manhattan Mall, they quickly thanked the elderly woman for the ride and jumped out of the car.

“I thought I was going to die in this car”, Bucky managed to say before he proceeded to throw up in the nearest trashcan.

“Remind me, to never ask Mrs Thomas to drive me anywhere ever again”, replied Steve, holding on to a lamppost to maintain his balance, “Hell, we fought in WWII can you imagine the headlines if we died in an old lady’s car?”

Again, for a split-second Steve could have sworn that he saw Bucky smile and that he heard him chuckle. So, all hope wasn’t lost just yet, he thought to himself. After they recovered from the traumatic car ride, the two entered Bruce Banner’s lab, not knowing what to expect on the inside. And unaware of what the next few hours would have in store for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this took ages, but uni got in the way. I'm trying to update as much as I can but currently I'm aiming at two updates per month. Depending on my workload it'll be more or less. Thank for understanding :)

As Steve and Bucky walked into the building, a rush of cold air welcomed them into the lobby. Bruce Banner’s lab was painted completely white, which made it look sterile, depressing and cold. The walls were built higher than in any other building in New York City, in case “the other guy” decided to pay Bruce an unexpected visit. The lobby was barely furnished, making the two men feel unwelcome. Steve swallowed as he led the way closer into Bruce’s building. The house made him feel, the exact feelings Bruce made Steve feel every time they met on mission: coldness and fear. Steve couldn’t remember what he could possibly have done to provoke Bruce’s rudeness towards him but he didn’t know how he could ever change the scientist’s mind about him. No matter how many times he tired, he never succeeded.

“What is he doing here?”

Bruce’s voice ripped Steve out of his thoughts.

“Ah good morning, Banner! Thank you for seeing me and my friend today. I know I’m not supposed to call you, so I really appreciate your help.”

And now he was rambling again. Gosh darn it Rogers, pull yourself together! No point in being nervous, it’s just Bruce. He may not like you, but he agreed to help. 

“I did not know that your problem involved bringing a serial killer into my lab, Rogers.”

“First of all, how do you know about this and secondly he is not a serial killer. Hydra made him kill a series of people. There’s a difference.”

Bruce let out a loud sigh.

“I watch the news, Rogers. Some people still do that. Now, elaborate your problem. I don’t have all day.”

Relieved, that Bruce turned out to be more cooperative than expected, Steve explained the problem to Bruce. Meanwhile Bucky had found himself a while armchair in a corner to sit and wait in. After Steve had finished explaining and Bruce had confirmed that he could do it, the three took the elevator to get upstairs to the actual lab. Steve had expected the lab to look a lot like Tony’s workshop but Bruce’s was more of an opposite to Tony’s. It was incredibly clean, almost too clean for a workspace. Everything had its place and labels were stuck on every item. In the middle of the room was black chair which looked like a chair you would find at the dentist’s but some modifications had been made to keep the patient or test subject strapped to the chair.

“I suppose I have to sit in there?”, asked Bucky while pointing to the chair. 

His voice sounded slightly anxious, which considering that he was about to be strapped into a modified dentist’s chair was completely understandable. In response Bruce just nodded and guided him towards to contraption. Steve found a seat in the corner. He tried to stay calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, he was full of worry. What if their plan didn’t work? What if Bruce failed to deactivate Bucky’s arm or worse: made it go off? All of those questions haunted Steve’s mind while he smiled at Bucky and gave him two thumbs up as Bruce started working. 

Half an hour into the process, a beeping noise inside Steve’s ear made him jump out of his chair. He and Bruce exchanged a worried look. It was their avengers emergency communication system, Tony had built into the headsets the avenger wore at all times. After a few beeps, Tony Stark’s voice shouted in their ears: 

“Attention everybody who is currently in New York or even on earth! Get your asses to Stark Tower as soon as possible! We have an attack at a conference in Vienna, various delegates injured and some dead, shooter got away but we’re getting security footage. More information when you get your asses here, preferably in the next 30min!”

“What is happening?”, asked Bucky, now sounding really anxious.

“We have an emergency. We have to get to the Tower now. Rogers? You ok?”

Steve’s cheeks were getting redder and redder his breath was getting short. He was close to having a panic attack. Was everything lost? No way Bruce was finished. How was he supposed to catch a terrorist in his current state? He didn’t know what to do. Captain America was having a breakdown.

“For god’s sake Rogers, you look like you’re about to die. Breath in and out. Calmly! And please don’t start crying it distracts me from working. I’m not gonna leave you hanging, ok? I have a plan so please can you stop making that face and take a chill-pill?”

Bruce’s “friendly” words pulled Steve back into reality.

“What plan?”, he asked.

“I’m going to remove the laser which seems to be the primary weapon in here. I don’t have time to remove the entire thing now, but without the laser he can’t do as much damage in case it goes off. But that doesn’t mean he won’t go off at any moment.”

“And where am I supposed to stay while you two go on mission? I’m not driving home on my own, Steve!”, Bucky asked.

“That’s an excellent question, Bucky. I think you will just have to come with us.”, Steve was almost back to himself now.  
He knew he couldn’t allow himself time to loose control like this, but Bucky seemed to trigger an enormous amount of worry in him and he didn’t know why.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?”, Bruce and Bucky yelled at the same time.

“No. It’s a good idea. He can still punch people with that thing, so he will be useful. And Bruce, I can’t send him home with my neighbour! She almost killed us driving here.”

“Fine, but you explain that to Tony.”

“Fine!”

After Bruce finished removing the laser, the three of them hopped into Bruce’s car and soon were on their way to the Stark Tower. Steve decided to warn Tony before they arrived that they would bring a non-avenger into the tower. He pulled out his phone, opened a text message and typed:

“Dear Tony,  
Bruce and I are on our way and will be at the tower shortly.  
We’re bringing a friend of mine with us who I’m sure can be  
of use. Please do not freak out.  
Best, Steve Rogers”

Steve slowly got the hang of using modern technology, especially phones. Tony did not take long to reply. The message said:

“KK. Opening up gate. See u in a few. Luv T”

They could already see the Stark Tower appearing around the corner. As soon as Bucky laid eyes on the giant “Stark” sign his face assumed a dark expression. 

“Please tell me that we’re not about to meet with Tony Stark, you know Howard’s kid?”, he said almost sounding afraid.

“Well, who else do you assume lives here? John Smith?”, Bruce sassed as he pulled up in the drive way.

“I’m staying in the car!”

“Heck, you are not staying in the car! Barnes, you are quite literally a ticking bomb and I will not leave you unattended in the middle of Manhattan!”

“But…”

“No, but!”, Steve was close to yelling by now, “Look, Tony is one of my closest friends and yes he will be mad for like 2 seconds that we brought a non-avenger to a mission, but he will understand I know it! And you will now immediately stop making a scene or I will call Mrs Thomas to drive you back home and we both know you don’t want to get back in that car!”

“Damn Cap, you are scary when you’re angry”, Bruce remarked and earned himself Steve’s famous death-stare. 

Bucky had no choice but to agree to get out of Bruce’s car because Steve was right. There was no way in hell that he would get back into Mrs Thomas’s car. But inside he knew that as soon as Tony would figure out who he was, Stark’s anger would last for way longer than 2 seconds.  
As the three men entered the building they were immediately greeted by JARVIS.

“Good morning, Mister Rogers, Mister Banner and guest. Mister Stark is awaiting you in the briefing room. Mister Barton has also just arrived and is on his way to join Mister Stark. Please step into the elevator and I will take you to them.”

“What the hell was that, Steve?”, Bucky asked.

“That was Jarvis. He works for Tony and coordinates all our missions. Tony once told me that he lives in the ceiling.”

“I can’t believe you fell for that then and I can’t believe you still think this now.”, Bruce laughed as they followed JARVIS’s instructions and stepped into the elevator. 

Tony and Clint were standing at a table in the so-called “briefing room”, which was actually Tony’s old office that had been upgraded with some fancy tech from S.H.I.E.L.D and a few more chairs. But it still was Tony’s old messy office. As the three men entered the office, Tony was the first to see the new arrivals. 

“Capsicle! Brucie! And weirdo who I’ve never seen before? Somebody care to explain who that Hippie with the prostatic is and what he is doing in my office? Is that really the guy who apparently can be of use from your message?”

“Tony, that’s my oldest friend Bucky Barnes. He is here because me and Bruce were trying to disarm his arm and only managed to make it a bit less dangerous because you called us here. I believe he can be useful to us because he is a great fighter even when he is not under Hydra’s control.”

He pressed his hand on his mouth as soon as the last sentence left it. Steve wanted to slap himself. He accidently let Bucky’s connection to Hydra slip in front of Tony. Shit! 

Tony was quiet. Too quiet. Way too quiet. He never was this quiet. Steve knew that he fucked up badly and Tony would probably punch him and Bucky or throw them out of the Window. Well maybe not the latter, but he was damn sure that it wasn’t going to be pretty.  
Tony took a deep breath. 

“Hydra?”, he said very slowly, his eyes were sparking dangerously, “HYDRA?!” The second time he yelled as loud as he could.   
“Your message earlier failed to mention that you were going to bring a serial killer!”

While Tony kept yelling at Steve, Clint and Bruce seemed lost they didn’t know how to calm Tony down. Steve had resigned, he let Tony yell at him without interrupting him. He knew he deserved this and even though he wanted to avoid this mess, he knew Tony had every right to react the way he did. 

Bucky had found himself a chair, muttering:   
“I knew this would happen. I knew it. I shouldn’t have come.”

The poor guy was on the edge of a breakdown. Luckily Clint had noticed Bucky in the corner and decided it was time to bring the group’s focus back to the mission.

“Tony, there’s people that are dying!”

Perplex, Tony stopped his tantrum, looked at Clint and exhaled.

“Alright, Clint Kardashian. Let’s get back to work. But Steve we will talk about this later. For now, Petkiller can help.”

Bruce and Clint both let out relieved sighs and chuckled, meanwhile Steve was puzzled. What had just happened and why were Clint and Bruce laughing? 

“Excuse me? Was that a reference? If yes, I did not understand this reference.”

“Gahhh watch more TV, Capsicle!”

“Ok,what have we got?”, asked Bruce.

“OK basic summary: There was a conference in Vienna, a shooter crashed the building and shot multiple politicians and one died.”

“And why do they need us? Can’t the local authorities deal with a terrorist?”

“That’s the interesting part. No, they can’t because we have been specifically requested to track this dirtbag down. And now guess who requested us?”

“I don’t know? Angela Merkel?............Wait, Vienna is in Germany, right?”

“Damn it, Barton you could actually be a Kardashian with that lack of general knowledge. No, Vienna is in Austria and no Angela Merkel did not request us. Someone far more special did. The person who died during the attack was T’Chaka, King of Wakanda and his son, T’Challa, has hired us to find his father’s killer.”

A collective “Oh damn” filled the room. 

“Wait so how do we know who we’re looking for? And is it only the three, oh well, four of us?”

“Well my dear Clint Kardashian, it appears that I'll have to fix your hearing aids again because I remember that I said earlier that I’m currently waiting for the security footage to arrive in my email and yes it’s only us. Thor is I don’t know where in space and Romanov is on a different mission probably castrating some mafia bosses………Oh look what’s arrived! Are you ready to see our killer?”

Tony pressed a few buttons on his laptop, which’s screen was now projected on a whiteboard. As Tony pressed play, everyone went silent, shock written over their faces. After the video was over Steve was the first one to speak.

“How can our killer look exactly like Bucky, when Bucky is in the room with us and hasn’t left my side in days?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, if you did please leave some kudos, comments or bookmarks. I appreciate your support.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I'm so sorry for being MIA! I could write excuses over excuses on why this chapter is so late, but I simply didn't know how to continue this work. But fast forward to tonight and me randomly checking my computer, I find this word document titled "pt3" and I open it and find almost 1000 words of this 3rd chapter which I completely forgot about. So enjoy this very late 3rd chapter!

„Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw!”

“Language Tony!”, Steve replied with a strict look in his eyes.

“I really don’t give a crap, American Beauty. We seem to have a doppelgänger of Jack Frost over here on the loose which makes this situation not any easier.”

Tony was pacing the room, looking like he was about to finally loose his mind. Even if he didn’t say it out loud, Steve agreed with Tony. A dangerous murderer on the loose who looked just like his best friend, indeed only made a usually simple mission really darn complicated. 

“JARVIS! Please run facial recognition on the target and give us a location.”, Clint broke the silence.

“At once Mr Barton.”, JARVIS replied.

“You guys, instead of brooding or looking like you’ve just seen a ghost you could actually use those brains of yours and do something to move this mission forward!”, Bruce added, having moved over to one of the many computers in the room.

Steve and Tony exchanged some looks and finally managed to pull themselves together. Bucky was still sitting in the corner as if all of the things happening around him didn’t affect him.

“Bucky, do you have any idea who our assassin might be?”, Steve asked carefully.

Bucky only shook his head. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his head and looked Steve in the eye:   
“I honestly can’t remember anyone I worked for at HYDRA. I’m guessing they programmed me to forget their faces as soon as I saw them just in case I got compromised. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that’s not helping”, Tony whispered under his breath.

“Neither are those sassy comments, Tony.”, Clint said sharply.

“Gentlemen, excuse me if I’m interrupting, but I ran facial recognition and found CCTV footage from 20 minutes ago. The suspect was last seen leaving LAX airport. However, I could not ID him. According to all databanks I have access to, this man does not exist.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.”, Tony sighed, “Well, at least we have a location. So, does anybody have a plan?”

An awkward silence filled the room. Everybody now was trying to avoid locking eyes with Tony.

“Awesome. Wow, guys not everybody at once please.”, after his initial loss for words, Tony quickly found back to his usual sassy self, “I, compared to everyone else in this room, have an idea but I’m not sure if you are going to like it.”

“Hit us with it, Tony. If it helps us catch that bastard, I’m willing to do anything. Even if it requires us to fly to Los Angeles. And I hate Los Angeles, it’s filled with references I don’t understand.”

“Well lucky for you, American Beauty, my plan doesn’t require us to fly to LA. Because a) I’m not so sure if I’m welcome there after I destroyed half of my old neighbourhood and b) even if we leave in this very moment this guy could be in Salt Lake City when we get to LA. No. My plan involves trusting someone else to catch this guy.”

“Didn’t you say like 30 minutes ago that we were specifically requested to catch this scumbag? Also what would he want in Salt Lake City?”

“I did, didn’t I? And Salt Lake City was just an example, but he could also be sitting by the pool somewhere else, goddamn it! Ok, Bruce-y so here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to call my contact at the LAPD and then when they arrest our assassin, I’ll arrange transport to New York, where we’ll welcome our prisoner and then I’m going to call T’Challa that he can pick up his present and he will never know the truth.”

“So basically, we’re lying to the King of Wakanda?”, Steve was now even more concerned than before.

“Hold up. Steve, while I’m equally concerned as you about the last part, is nobody going to question why Tony has a contact in the LAPD? I mean apart from the fact that he probably spent a few nights there after being arrested for drunk-driving”, Clint raised his eyebrows.

“Wow, Legolas, ripping open old wounds? And yes, I actually have a contact in the LAPD!”

“Wait, did you hook up with this contact?”

“I can’t see how this question is relevant to our problem, Clint!”, Steve was already blushing a bright shade of pink even though it wasn’t his sex life that was being discussed.

“Get a grip, Capsicle! And yes, my little birdie, I did. He is the civilian consultant for the LAPD, so not actually a cop. He owns a nightclub, is hell-a handsome and quite the devil in bed, if I might add.”

“Ewww gross, please spare us the details please! I regret that I asked.”, Clint was already in the process of removing his hearing aids, while Steve’s face went from bright pink to bright red, Bruce had found some popcorn and Bucky was grinning and winking at Steve, who now was almost the shade of Tony’s Iron Man suit.

“Aaaanywaaaay”, Tony continued, “I can call him and ask him to grab the detective he works with and arrest our guy. And trust me guys, he is very efficient and quite……..persuasive.”

“Fine. Let’s not waist anymore time and call this guy. Also, I will need details later!”, Bruce said with his mouth full of Popcorn.

“Bruce I’ll tell you later ok? We do have work to do. Ok listen up folks, I’m gonna call now but I’m going to need a bit of privacy for that. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”, Tony smirked and left.

The other stared at him, puzzled.

“He’s not going to do what I think he’s going to do, right?”, Bruce asked, Popcorn falling out of his mouth.

“I think he’s going to do exactly what we’re thinking.”, Clint said with a shimmer of disgust in his voice, “Can’t believe he would do such a thing at work.”

“Guys, what are we thinking?”, Steve was genuinely confused. 

“Steve you’re so innocent! It’s actually adorable”, Clint laughed.

A few minutes later Tony re-entered the room, staying at the entrance scanning the room. Bruce and Clint were desperately trying to avoid looking at Tony while Steve was still obviously confused.

“So, my guy is on the case. JARVIS already sent him the data. The LAPD will contact us when they got the guy. And what is going on here?”

“Guys! Really? Bruce, Clint I can see from here that your minds are knee deep in the gutter, so please be so kind and get them out of there? I just left the room to keep my contact anonymous, you perverts!”

“Seriously! Somebody will need to explain to me what just happened!”, Steve was still so very confused about everything that had happened in the last 5 minutes.

“Steve, I can’t believe you are still this innocent!”, Bucky laughed from his corner, finally warming up to the very strange and very awkward situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it don't forget to leave Kudos, Comments and Bookmarks, I really appreciate them!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All it takes to knock out Cap is a good old Hulk on the head.  
> If you want to know what poor people ate during the great depression, this is the chapter for you. (You happy now @Raspberries_Heartbeat ?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive people! First of all a big thanks to all of my friends who helped me figure out how to get Steve unconcious without destroying all of New York City hahaha. And I know that nobody is gonna give a shit but the amount of research that went into this flashback is insane. So yeah, enjoy.

A few hours later, the avengers had their fugitive delivered to their doorstep. Their perp truly looked like he could be Bucky’s sibling but apparently all white men in their thirties, with longer dark-brown hair looked the same. At least according to Fury as he and a few other not-HYDRA agents arrived to pick up the terrorist. On the question what they were to do with Bucky, who wasn’t innocent either, Fury offered to ask an old friend for help, but refused to give the very confused avengers more information. After Fury and the agents had left to make arrangements concerning Bucky, the others had gone back upstairs in Tower’s living room / bar area, where Tony offered to make everyone some victory-drinks, despite them not doing very much to contribute to said victory. But drinks were always welcome.

After everyone had at least three drinks, Bruce grabbed Bucky by the metal arm and declared that he was trying again to fix his arm and HYDRA programming because he claimed he could do it quicker then Fury’s mystery friend. Despite Bucky’s loud protests, the other slightly-really drunk avengers were all in favour of Bruce giving it another try. Shortly after Bruce and Bucky had left the living room and Tony had fallen asleep on Clint’s lap, who didn’t seem to mind. After going 10 minutes without another drink, Steve’s super soldier metabolism sobered him up rather quickly and resulted in him yelling: _“Why did we decide it was a good idea to leave a drunk Bruce and poor Bucky unattended in the Lab?!”_ and henceforth waking up Tony, who still was too drunk to understand the issue and curled back up in Clint’s lap.

_“Jarvis! Give me the security camera live feed of the Lab!”,_ Steve continued. _“At once, Mr Rogers.”_ , the AI responded. Steve was glad that he had reacted in time because as he looked at the live feed, he saw Bucky’s arm charging giving Bruce a few electroshocks in a row. He heard Bruce screaming _“FUCKING HELL!”_ as he grew larger and greener by the second. Shit, Steve thought to himself and ran downstairs to the lab. He bust the door open and yelled _“STOP IT BRUCE!”_ at the now fully hulked out scientist. Instead of replying, the Hulk turned and was now running towards Steve, who only manged to hit the containment button next to the door, before getting the Hulk’s fist straight in the face and slowly drifting towards the ground, where the world around him slowly started to become darker until there was only blackness and a memory.

 

***

**_New York, 1939: After Mrs Roger’s funeral_ **

_“You know you can stay with me, right?”, Bucky said to his best friend, “I know you can’t afford the rent on your own. I’d even help you move your stuff.”_

_“Thanks, Buck”, Steve managed a smile, “I know you mean well, but are you sure you have the space? No offence but you live in a shoebox.”_

_“So, you’d rather stay on the street than live in your best friend’s shoebox?”, the older guy teased._

_“Touché.”_

***

**_New York, 1939: A few months later_ **

_Steve had been living in Bucky’s “Shoebox”, as he affectionately called their apartment, for two months now. Yes, it was small but as Bucky had said, it was better than sleeping on the streets. Steve had been sleeping on the sofa which wasn’t big but again so was Steve. He had managed to get hired as a part time server at Italian restaurant named “Barbetta” in Manhattan. It didn’t pay much, but at least it paid something. Bucky had told him, that he didn’t have to contribute to the rent but Steve felt dirty lounging on his friend’s sofa for free. Bucky only jobbed in a department store and Steve knew that he was always broke. At least, now that they shared the rent, they didn’t have eat the so called “poor men’s meal” every day. Potatoes and hot dogs wasn’t the worst food Steve had ever had but if you had to eat it every day…People didn’t call it the great depression for nothing._

***

**_New York, 1939: Christmas Eve_ **

_It was the first Christmas where Steve was on his own. Well, not completely on his own. He did have Bucky, who had been the best friend and roommate Steve could possibly have for the last six months. Steve hadn’t left the apartment much in the last half year, he only went outside to go to work or to the store. Now at Christmas time, Bucky wasn’t having it anymore. “Rogers!”, he yelled from his bedroom, “Quit the self-pity and grab a jacket! We’re going out!”_

_“Where are we going, Buck?”_

_“It’s a surprise, Stevie!”_

_“I’m cold…”_

_“Jesus!”, Bucky growled annoyed at his friend, “I want you to close your eyes now and hold on to my arm. And no cheating, Rogers!”_

_Knowing that any form of protest would be useless, Steve did what he was told. The closer he walked to Bucky and the tighter he held onto him, the more his stomach would feel fuzzy. Probably just me being nervous about surprises, Steve thought, trying to ignore the fuzzy and warm feeling and convincing himself that him hating surprises was the only reason he was feeling something else then emptiness._

_“You can open your eyes now!”_

_Steve blinked a few times to readjust himself to the daylight and looked around. They were at an ice ring in the middle of central park. People around them were skating, falling, laughing and chatting to their friends. Damn. Barnes had actually managed to trick him into a social and sporty activity._

_“Jesus, Steve! How does one manage to be so bad at every physical activity?”, Bucky laughed as helped Steve off the ground for the fifth time. “Well, not everybody can be as fit and strong as you, Bucky Barnes!”, damn why did he say that? Now he didn’t only look like a total daft but sounded like one as well. If he had only put a sarcastic tone in his voice…_

_A few seconds of awkward silence later, Steve was back on his feet and tried to skate away from Bucky as fast as he could which only resulted in him losing control over his legs again and crashing into a group of teenage girls._

_“I-I’m so sorry!”, Steve stuttered as he tried to get his body to stand up again. “It’s alright”, a girl giggled, “It’s not everyday that a handsome stranger crashes into you.” She giggled again. Steve could feel the blood rushing into his face. Awkwardly, he removed himself from the ice, muttered a quick “thanks” and laughed nervously as he stumbled away from the group._

_“If that wasn’t a missed opportunity, I don’t know what is!”, Bucky stiffly stated as Steve returned to him._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Mate! She was totally flirting with you!” For a brief second Steve thought he heard a strange undertone in Bucky’s voice but dismissed the thought immediately._

_“No, she wasn’t! She was like 12!”_

_“She sure as hell wasn’t 12, Stevie.”, Bucky laughed, “But suit yourself.” There it was again. That strange undertone but this time it sounded almost happy. He must have hit is head really hard on the ice because no way Bucky would be happy about his best friend’s inability to talk to women, right?_

_The two boys didn’t talk much on the way back to their apartment. Steve mainly complained about his aching body and Bucky decided to simply ignore his best friend’s whining. They were almost at their front door when Steve suddenly asked: “Bucky? Do you think I’m strange?”_

_“What on earth do you mean?”, the obviously confused 20-year old asked._

_“Well, I suck at everything. I can’t have a normal conversation with stranger, am a complete fool when it comes to physical activities, I never leave my sofa, this is the first time I’ve been outside for longer than 2 hours in six months, I say weird things without thinking…”_

_“Like this stupid question?”, Bucky interrupted._

_“No, I actually thought about this for the last 10 minutes.”_

_“Still a weird question”, Bucky laughed, “And if you want my honest opinion: yes, you are strange, but what does it matter? You are also one of the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. You are loyal to your friends, you make amazing pancakes, are a great listener and apparently you make me say a lot of sappy shit.”_

_“Language, Barnes!”, Steve laughed as he blushed about the compliments his friend had given him and tried very hard to ignore the warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach again, “Didn’t know you could survive saying more then one nice thing in a sentence.”_

_“Merry Christmas and go to hell, Rogers.”_

***

**_New York, 1939: Christmas Day_ **

_“I HATE YOU, JAMES BUCKY BARNES!”, Steve didn’t care if he woke up the entire building, he had to let the world know how he felt in this moment. While Steve was asleep, Bucky had decorated him with all the tinsel and glitter he could find. A now awake and very sparkly Steve Rogers jumped of the sofa and chased after his friend. As he tackled Bucky from behind, his friend only laughed and yelled:_

_“YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME, ROGERS!”_

_For a millisecond, Steve froze. Bucky’s words echoed in his brain. Did he love him? Was that what his strange feelings were? But how could Bucky know? Or, Steve’s rational side started to kick in again, he just meant “love” as in friends. How could he even let his brain go there? There was no way, Bucky would ever feel anything but friendship for him, right? But how easy would it be to just kiss him, now that they were laying on the floor together anyway…WOAH, stop thinking like that, Rogers!_

_On the floor, Bucky turned around to Steve, who was still laying on top of him. From the second their eyes locked, it felt like time had been stopped. Slowly, Bucky’s hand reached Steve’s face and pulled a few pieces of tinsel of his head. It felt like a strange force had taken control of their bodies, as their faces moved closer together. Only a few millimetres apart, Steve whispered: “Bucky, what on earth are we doing?” As a reply, Bucky’s lips softly pressed against Steve’s._

***

**_New York, 1940: April_ **

_The sleeping arrangements in the “Shoebox” had changed since Christmas. Steve had now joined Bucky in the bedroom, even though if somebody asked, he was still sleeping on the sofa. The hardest part of the last four months had been to keep their relationship a secret. No one could know about their happiness._

_The rumours in the streets whispered that the USA would join the war soon to end Hitler’s reign of terror and that young men should be prepared to join the fight against the Nazis. The war was also a popular topic in the “Shoebox”._

_“I still think we should enlist, when the time comes.”, Steve thought loudly to himself with his head in Bucky’s lap._

_“Steve, I said this a million times before and I will say it a million times more, but I don’t know why you want to get killed so badly but from what they say on the news each week, the war is hell on earth. Why would you willingly give up what we have? I think we should hide, when the time comes.”, Bucky sighed._

_“I want to fight for a chance where we can actually go outside and not hide ourselves from the world. Wouldn’t you want to live in a world where we could leave the apartment together and not put on an act?”_

_“Of course. But that’s not what this war is about, Steve. This war is not about us, it’s not about our lives. It’s about saving millions of innocent people from this psycho with the weird little moustache. I wouldn’t wanna risk losing you in a battle that might be a lost cause. I love you too much for this.”_

_Steve froze for a second. Did he hear that correctly? Nobody had ever said they loved him. Well, his parents had but they didn’t count._

_“You love me?”_

_“I do.”_

_“I love you too. And if it makes you feel any better, I promise you that I won’t enlist until there is no other way, okay? And we can try the hiding if you want because truth be told I don’t wanna lose you either. I don’t want to receive a letter, saying you were killed in battle and not being able to properly mourn you. I don’t even want to think about it.”_

_“Then don’t”, Bucky replied, pushing Steve off his lap and leaning in for a long kiss._

***

**_A train on the way to Des Moines, 1941: The day before Christmas Eve_ **

_The train journey from New York to Des Moines, Iowa was longer then any train journey Steve and Bucky had ever made before. It had been a hard decision to move out of the “Shoebox” but now that the USA had joined the war, New York didn’t seem as safe as it once did. They didn’t exactly know where they were going to live now but a friend of a friend of a friend had told them about a farm near Waverly, Iowa where no one would ask questions and they were free to be themselves as long as they helped on the farm. Bucky and Steve just hoped that they would be able to get to the farm without attracting the attention of the military, which was trying to recruit every young man they could. If the farm even existed….Steve still wasn’t so sure._

_“Honey? You’ve been awfully quiet, have you swallowed your tongue?”, Bucky mocked from the top bunk of the compartment._

_“Just thinking about the fact that some idiot on the other side of the world could decide to drop bombs on us any second. So just a regular Tuesday afternoon.”, Steve mocked back at his boyfriend from the bottom bunk, “Oh and maybe the fact that we are actually homeless and don’t even know if that farm even really exists.”_

_“I’m sure it exists. I trust the boys at the bathhouse. They’ve been nothing but supportive of our decision to leave New York behind. I think most of them are going follow us soon, especially now with the raids increasing.”, Bucky drifted of again talking more about the friends they made at the bathhouse over the last year._

_Steve could tell that leaving New York was just as hard on Bucky as it was on him, Bucky just manged to hide his fears better. But Steve knew him well enough to hear the little shaking in his voice, the speed of his speech increasing the more he talked about irrelevant things._

***

**_Des Moines, 1941: Christmas Eve_ **

_“Do you even know how to drive, Steve?!”_

_“Yes, I do so shut up and get in the darn car!”_

_Despite being about a foot shorter then his boyfriend, Steve could be very scary when he was angry._

_“Is there a problem, fellas?”, the rental car representative asked._

_“No, sir. My friend just apparently wants to spend his Christmas in this car park and not with our fiancées and their families. Darn, I haven’t seen Janis in forever.”, he sighed almost a tad too dramatic. The fiancée-story had originally been Bucky’s idea of a cover and Steve had spent half a day making jokes about it, but now it seemed like the most believable cover-story._

_“Sir, you don’t happen to have a map for us? I’ve only been to see my fiancée Stephanie’s parents once and I’m not sure if I do remember the way.”, Bucky added with a small wink, “Not such a bad story now, is it?”, he whispered to Steve._

_The rental car salesman nodded and returned a few minutes later with a map of Iowa._

_“Have fun and a merry Christmas to you, fellas!”, he shouted as Steve and Bucky pulled out of the parking lot._

_After 3h of driving, they arrived in the small town of Waverly, Iowa. A few miles outside the city limits, there actually was a farm. After 30 minutes of searching it seemed like they found what they were searching for. I hope it’s not just a random farm, Steve thought._

_They pulled up in the driveway, got out of their rented car and knocked at the door. A few minutes later they were greeted by an elderly man pointing a gun in each of their faces._

_“WOAH! Don’t shoot! Charles Wilson sent us!”, Bucky squeaked, sounding a lot more high-pitched then usual._

_The old men grunted and removed his guns from their faces._

_“Well, come on in then, fellas.”_

***

**_Waverly, 1941: Christmas Day_ **

_As it had turned out, the elderly man was their friend Charles’ father, who was always looking for help on the farm and in return turned a blind eye to the private relations of his work force. Mr Wilson had given Bucky and Steve a room upstairs and a note that said:_

_“Horses have to be fed at 7am and 6pm. Hay and oats are in the barn. -W”_

_So, on Christmas Day shortly before 7am, Bucky and Steve made their way to the barn to feed the horses. Neither of them had ever fed a horse before, but they’d rather not ask stupid questions like how do you even feed a horse._

_“Of all the animals on this farm why do we have to be responsible for the horses?”, Steve mumbled._

_“Are you trying to say that you are scared of horses?”, Bucky laughed._

_“No! I’m just saying that I’d rather feed the chickens because they are smaller.”_

_Despite Steve’s apprehensions, feeding the horses turned out to not be hard after all. After they were done, Mr Wilson and three other boys entered the barn._

_“Good work, fellas!”, the elderly man shouted, “Those are my other workers Lukas, Anton and Thomas. If you have questions or are suddenly sure that you’ve done all the work, ask them and they will help you find more work. Lunch is at 1pm and dinner at 7pm.”_

_It had been a tough day for Bucky and Steve, after dinner they had immediately excused themselves to their room and had fallen onto the bed, exhausted._

_“Merry Christmas, my love.”, Bucky whispered as he curled himself up next to Steve._

***

**_Waverly, 1942: November_ **

_The war was still raging everywhere and no end seemed in sight. The military had come to the farm to recruit as many suitable young men they could. It seemed like neither Steve nor Bucky had a choice now. Even old Mr Wilson had told them that the time they could hide was over and their country needed them. Bucky had been accepted into the force immediately, but Steve’s physical abilities apparently were not enough to join the force, despite working on a farm for the past year. In their room Bucky was packing up his things, to report to his new base._

_“I will find a way to join you, I promise.”, Steve said, trying not to cry._

_“I know, you will.”, Bucky swallowed hard, “But Steve? After the war, I promise you I will find you again. And I swear to you we will be together again.”_

***

“Is he waking up?”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have called an ambulance?”

“Damn it, Bruce! Look what you have done. You broke Capsicle!”

“Pretty sure he’s not broken, Tony.”

The world around Steve began to fill itself with colour again as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tony and Clint moving towards him. His head hurt like hell.

“What happened? Where is Bucky?”, he groaned, holding his head with one arm as he slowly lifted up his body.

“We very scientifically figured out, that it takes a Hulk to knock out a supersoldier and a knocked out supersoldier and a loose Hulk to sober up two drunk avengers.”, Tony remarked.

“I am so so sorry, Steve!”, Bruce apologized again and again, “I shouldn’t have gone into the lab drunk. Damn, I could have killed somebody.”

“Bruce, I know this sounds crazy but I am thankful that you hit me on the head. Thanks to that I remembered something really important from my past. Something I should have never forgotten.”

“Now you totally lost it.”, Tony shook his head and turned to Bruce, “You did break him.”

“I assure, I didn’t totally loose it and no I am not broken, thanks very much, Tony. But I need to know where Bucky is, assuming Bruce didn’t accidently kill him.”

“No, I didn’t kill him. He’s waiting in the upstairs living room for Fury’s mystery friend to finish his, I’m guessing, downgrade.”

“If you would excuse me.”, Steve said as he ran to the elevator.

“He totally lost it.”, said Clint and Tony at the same time.

***

A young girl around 17 just left the upstairs living room as Steve stepped out of the elevator.

“Are you the mystery friend Fury mentioned?”, Steve asked the girl.

“Think so”, she cheeringly replied, “Name’s Shuri. I fixed your friend. He’s good as new. If you want you can come visit me and my brother someday. I think your friend wouldn’t mind a vacation.”

Before Steve could reply, Shuri had already stepped into the elevator and disappeared. Steve carefully opened the door to the living room. Bucky was standing at the window seemingly enjoying the view of New York City.

“I’m free. Finally, free. 70 years of torture are over”, Steve could see Bucky’s smile in the window’s reflection.

“That’s amazing, Bucky! But do you know what’s even better? I remember!”

“Did you have amnesia? What even did you remember? Your shopping list?”, Bucky turn around, now very confused.

“The war is over. And you…you kept your promise. I’m sorry I didn’t remember before, but now I do.”

Without another word, Steve grabbed Bucky by the waist and pulled him into a kiss for the first time in over 70 years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, Comments and Bookmarks are appreciated ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will life go on now that Steve's memory of his relationship with Bucky resurfaced?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw Endgame a few days ago, which is why I had to write a fluffy domestic chapter to escape the feels.

„ _I still can’t believe you managed to forget our relationship_ ”, Bucky laughed. After Steve’s memory had been jumpstarted by the Hulk, Steve and Bucky had borrowed one of Tony’s many cars to get back to Steve’s apartment, as neither of them was in the mood to take a taxi.

Back at the apartment, Bucky couldn’t resist to tease Steve about the events of the evening.

“ _In my defence, I’ve been stuck in the ice for 70 years!_ ”, Steve threw himself on the sofa next to Bucky.

“ _I was a brainwashed zombie for HYDRA for 70 years. As soon as their control was gone, my memories returned. So, you can’t use being a popsicle for 70 years as an excuse! Here I was in your apartment for almost a week, wondering why you were acting all platonic and weird, wondering if maybe the super-serum had accidently turned you straight, but no! Turns out you just have dementia_ ”, Bucky continued laughing, while grabbing Steve’s wrist and pulling him closer.

“ _First of all I do not have dementia, I just had short term amnesia-_ “

“ _Short-term? How many years have you been defrosted?_ ”

“ _I hate you_ ”

“ _You love me_ ”

“ _I do_ ” The two shared a long and passionate kiss.

“ _So, are you going to tell your friends, the avengers, about us?_ ”, Bucky asked after a few minutes of passionate kissing.

“ _I don’t know yet. Do you want me to?_ ”, Steve replied.

“ _Honestly no, I would prefer it if you didn’t tell them. At least for now. They don’t seem to fully trust me yet, especially Tony._ ”

“ _Good thing I didn’t say anything after they followed me upstairs after I ran to you._ ”, Steve chuckled.

“ _And I am thankful for that, but I’m sure no one believed you when you said you remembered that you left the stove on after Bruce punched you in the face and felt the need to tell me that._ ”

“ _I panicked, ok? Just let it go!_ ”

***

“ _James? Could you be a dear and keep an eye on my laundry? I think I left my coffee machine on._ ”

Bucky cringed by the mention of his real name, but Mrs Thomas had insisted on calling him “James” and he was not one to argue with the landlady.

“ _Sure, Mrs T_ ”, he replied forcing a smile.

It had been two weeks since Shuri had disable all weapons in his metal arm and fully removed the control HYDRA once had over him. His relationship with Steve was thriving and it felt good not having to hide from the world anymore. Well, they still hadn’t made their relationship public and hadn’t actually told anybody about it, but that was beside the point. They could, if they wanted to. Still, he knew it was stupid that he had asked Steve not to say anything to the other avengers but Bucky wasn’t sure if they had forgiven him for all the things, he had done to them. Especially to Tony. Still deep in his thoughts, he emptied the dryers and grabbed the two baskets and walked up the stairs. One basket, he placed in front of Mrs Thomas’ door, knocked and walked towards Steve’s door. Inside he placed the other basket on Steve’s kitchen table and threw himself next to Steve on the sofa.

***

“ _Babe? Why is there a dress in our laundry basket?_ ”, Steve was very confused as he searched the basket for his Captain America suit the next morning, “ _I have to be at the Stark Tower in an hour for that apparently important thing Tony wanted to discuss and I can’t find my suit or any of my jeans. Is that even our laundry?_ ”

Bucky raced to the living room, almost slipping on the carpet, “ _Shit! I took the wrong basket!_ ”

“ _I figured_ ”, Steve laughed, “ _But seriously who’s dress is this because whoever they are, they have my suit._ ”

“ _It should be Mrs Thomas’. Does she know your Captain America or did I fuck up big time?_ ”

“ _Don’t worry she knows. My identity is not exactly a secret. The thing I’m worried about is that she’s out of town today. Her daughter picked her up yesterday._ ”

“ _When yesterday? Maybe she was already gone when I put the basket in front of her door and it’s still there?_ ”, Bucky said, hoping he could help solve the mess he was responsible for.

Steve laughed. “ _Are you serious? She came by yesterday evening to tell us that she was leaving! Who has dementia now?_ ”

“ _She did? I probably fell asleep in front of the TV and didn’t realize she came by._ ”, Bucky blushed. So that’s how it felt to get a taste of his own medicine.

“ _Still doesn’t solve the problem that she now has my suit and I don’t have any pants to wear to the meeting._ ”

“ _Wear the dress then_ ”, Bucky shrugged, “ _It’s not like someone in New York City would care. Also, you don’t even have to take a taxi. You still have Tony’s Lamborghini in our garage._ ”

“ _I’m not gonna wear my landlady’s dress to a meeting where Tony Stark is present._ ”

***

“ _Is nobody going to acknowledge the fact that Cap is dressed like a grandma at her grandson’s baseball game?_ ”, Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to take pictures of Steve.

“ _It’s embarrassing enough that I have to wear this, so I better not see those on social media_ ”, Steve groaned. He had been forced to wear the dress after all because it was the only item in the laundry basket, he managed to squeeze in. The buttons in the back had remained open, which was the reason he had put on a T-shirt on top. He had tried to squeeze into Bucky’s jeans but they all had been too small for him. He was never throwing all of his pants in the wash at once, that was for certain. The worst part wasn’t the fact that he had to wear a dress but that he had to wear a dress that looked like it was made out of a curtain.

“ _Care to explain your fashion choices? Don’t get me wrong, I love and admire that you are breaking gender stereotypes, but why did you have to wear your grandma’s dress? Also, I’m keeping the pictures, in case I have to blackmail you one day_.”, Tony smirked.

“ _Maybe I’m starting a new trend. In all seriousness Tony, is there a spare Captain America suit somewhere at the tower?_ ”

“ _What happened to your usual one?_ ”

“ _My landlady has it along with all my pants by accident and she’s out of town for a week._ ”, Steve mumbled.

“ _Let me see what I can find_.”, Tony got up still laughing. Steve was sure he would be mocked for wearing the ugliest dress in the world for years to come. And knowing Tony, those pictures would be posted on Twitter, next time he had one martini too much.

A few minutes later, Steve was wearing some jeans he had once forgotten at the tower after a mission. Tony hadn’t managed to find a spare suit but at least he was able to find some pants for Steve. Finally, free of the dress, Steve, Tony, Nat, Bruce and Clint sat on the big sofa island in the TV room.

“ _Now the reason why I called you here_ ,” Tony said putting his arms around Steve and Clint, “ _is that you two and Thor are the only avengers who don’t live in the tower yet. Thor won’t move in for obvious reasons, but you guys don’t really have an excuse. So, spill the beans: why aren’t you living here?_ ”

“ _I told you a million times, there are reasons why I live at the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarter._ ”, Clint rolled his eyes.

“ _And I told you a million times, that you need to elaborate on said reasons for me to let this go._ ”, Tony winked, “ _Capsicle! What’s your excuse?_ ”

“ _The fact that Bucky is currently living in my apartment to slowly re-enter society._ ”, Steve improvised quickly.

“ _I’m sure he’d be fine on his own. Talk to him, Cap, sure it’ll be fine. Plus, your laundry wouldn’t end up in your landlady’s apartment anymore if you lived here._ ”

 _“I’ll think about it_ ”, Steve sighed.

***

“ _Obviously, you have to say yes!_ ”, Bucky yelled from the kitchen where he was cooking dinner, “ _Think about it. It’s not like you’d be Tony’s prisoner. You can come visit me anytime. And the others won’t suspect a thing. Maybe when they’re a bit more used to the idea of me being around, I can move in with you there._ ”

“ _And where will you live until then? You don’t have any money, I suppose._ ”

“ _First of all: not true! HYDRA payed their brainwashed zombies, believe it or not. And second: I thought I’ll just take this apartment. My stuff is already here, Mrs T already likes me and it’s not that far from the tower. Trust me, Steve. I’ll be fine. You’ll be coming here almost every day anyway_ ”, Bucky winked and blew Steve a kiss.

“ _Barnes, you are a sneaky bitch!_ ”, Steve laughed and blew a kiss back, “ _Guess I’m moving into the Stark tower._ ”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know what Clint's reasons are you should definitly read this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1033692  
> I mean even if don't wanna know you should read it! Like why are you still here? Go and read it!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it and please be nice since this is the first fanfiction I've ever published. I will try to upload as much as I can, but since I am very busy with university I can't promise you weekly updates.


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